When All Seems Lost
by lostie963
Summary: What if when Kate asked Jack to do Ben's surgery to save Sawyer's life things had gone just a little differently? Jate NO SKATE!
1. Coercion

**When All Seems Lost**

This begins in the middle of "I Do", Season 3 episode 6, because I do wish things had gone differently at this point. (Sorry for any little inaccuracies about what happened up until this point in the show, I haven't seen the episodes since they aired.) Jate

Spoiler Warning: There are many spoilers for the show. I cannot even begin to break down which episodes or seasons they are from. Sorry, just if you haven't seen all of the episodes to date be prepared for some spoilers. Though there likely will not be many from after Season 3 Episode 6 or so because I am going my own way from there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost.

This chapter will contain a lot of actual dialogue and situations from the show but after this I hope to not use any scenes from the show.

Sorry for the long intro. This is my first fanfic in a really long time so yeah, review please.

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**Previously on Lost season 3 episodes 6:**

Jack: You needed to be in surgery yesterday.

Ben: Alright, then. Whatever you need, it's yours. I'm ready.

Jack (while laughing): No, I think you misunderstood me. I didn't say I was gonna do it. I just wanted you to understand how you're gonna die… You think I believe you people? You think I trust you? That I'm just going to do the surgery, and then I'm just going to HOPE that you let me go?!

Juliet: Jack!

Jack: No, don't!

Ben: Well, Jack. I'm very disappointed in your decision.

Jack: Well, Ben. At least you won't have to be disappointed for very long.

---

Sayid: So, what killed Eko?

Locke: … Folks back at the beach call it "the Monster". I don't really have a name for it. You don't believe in monsters?

Sayid: I believe in what I can see. But obviously you have. So, why don't you tell me what you think it is?

Locke: Might be what brought us here.

Sayid: So, you think that this Monster decided that Eko was meant to die?

Locke: I believe that Eko died for a reason. I just don't know what it is yet.

---

Alex (yelling to Kate as she is dragged away): Listen, whatever they say, don't believe them! They're gonna kill your boyfriend just like they killed mine!

---

Juliet (to Kate): I would like you to put this on, and come with me. Please.

Kate: You think I'm going to put a hood over my head because you said please?

Juliet: No Kate. I think you're going to put a hood over your head because the man standing behind me, the one who's burning a hole in my back? That man is going to kill Sawyer. But if you put this on, and you come with me, there's something you can do for us that will save his life.

**And that is where my story picks up.**

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**Chapter One - Coercion**

Jack paced his little room, feeling a little flustered. He had just refused to perform Ben's surgery. Part of him was conflicted over that. He hated thinking that he was destroying a life. He was supposed to save people, fix things, but he could not bring himself to heal the man who seemed most responsible for the suffering the castaways were all enduring. It killed him to think of what Kate was probably going through. He still hadn't seen her. Just then, as if on cue, he heard a door swinging open.

Jack rushed to the clear wall dividing the room in two as Juliet entered, leading Kate who had a bag over her head. Juliet removed the bag and stepped out after saying, "I'll give you two some privacy."

Kate slowly approached the wall, placing one hand gently on the wall. Jack watched her, shocked at her appearance. She looked scared and vulnerable. He looked at her hand, wishing he could hold it to give her some comfort, he settled for placing his hand against hers through the wall. "Hey," he said softly, "you okay?"

Kate closed her eyes momentarily and when she opened them again she looked like she had pulled herself together more. "Yeah, what about you?" she watched his face as she asked the question.

"I'm fine," he answered quickly, more concerned with extracting information from her, "where are they keeping you?"

She took a deep breath before responding, "Outside, in a cage. Sawyer too."

She paused briefly, "they're making us work. Hauling rocks for something…"

"Kate," Jack interrupted her, sounding desperate, "did they hurt you?" He was alarmed to see her eyes fill with tears. She blinked furiously, as if angry with herself for crying. He continued, "Kate it's oka-"

"You have to do it Jack, please, this operation..." Kate stopped talking, her voice breaking with emotion as she allowed the tears to run freely down her face.

Jack took several deep breaths, searching her face for any sign of… of what was he looking for? Why was she asking this of him? What had they done to her! Had the others sunk this low, to hurt Kate to get to him? What was he thinking, they were already that low! Still, he couldn't say no to that face. She was staring into his eyes intensely, begging him to do it. "Jack..," Kate spoke his name pleadingly, breaking into his thoughts.

"What did they do to you Kate?!" Jack asked, his tone becoming slightly angry.

Kate wiped at her tears furiously, "nothing…"

"Why are you asking me this!?" he continued as his voice grew louder.

He could barely hear Kate's answer because she was speaking so quietly now.

"Jack, they're gonna kill Sawyer…" Kate turned away from him and slid down until she was sitting with her back against the wall. She put her head in her hands and sobbed, secretly hating herself for not being able to calm down.

Jack felt a pang of jealousy. _Sawyer_… of course. He didn't speak. He couldn't take Kate's sorrow, he wanted nothing more than to hold her, comfort her. He traced the place her hand had been with his fingertip.

He sank to his knees on the floor, silently cursing the transparent wall keeping them apart. "Kate…"

He watched as her shoulders shook slightly, she was still crying. "Kate… look at me, please."

He watched as she took a few deep breaths and turned slightly so that she was leaning the right side of her body against the wall instead of her back. She didn't look at Jack but he could see her forcing herself to get it together. He didn't know what to say and was surprised when Kate spoke for him. "Jack, she said if you do this that they will let us go… and if you don't they will kill Sawyer."

"Who," he asked urgently. He still didn't know what to think of the situation.

She looked up at him finally, "the blonde woman, the one who brought me here."

He didn't want to do the surgery, he couldn't. Ben didn't deserve it. He wished they hadn't sent Kate in here, crying over Sawyer. Still, he didn't want her to hurt. He would push his own feeling aside and try to find a way. He would do something; find a solution to this mess, for her. For Kate. "Kate, I.. don't worry."

Just then a couple of men burst into the room and grabbed Kate roughly.

"Jack!" she shouted franticly as they threw the bag over her head once more.

"It'll be okay Kate," he assured her, hating that he couldn't protect her.

---

Ben watched from an observation room, standing with a few of the others. After he ordered Kate be taken from the room he looked relieved. A small, almost unrecognizable smile was on his face as he turned to Juliet. "Prep the OR."

Juliet looked at Ben, amazed, "you really think he's changed his mind."

"He'll do the surgery, Juliet," Ben stated matter-of-factly.

"Ben, I think you are underestimating him."

"Just prep the OR Juliet," Ben said in a commanding voice, "he will do the surgery."

As Juliet left Ben turned back to watch Jack, who was currently struggling with his dilemma. His plan was working.

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A/N: I hope most chapters will be longer than this; I just wanted to get started. Usually I won't do the 'previously on lost' thing. I just needed some context for the scene. I omitted Kate's flashbacks for this chapter because it was difficult to work it in since I started in the middle of an episode. Just assume her flashbacks have already occurred, I am not going to type them. (If you cannot remember them let me know and I will remind you. It is kind of important in the future because it is the set of flashbacks that shows her wedding.) From now on I won't be stealing many scenes from the show; I just hated the way that one played out in the show.


	2. Lost and Found

For spoiler warnings see chapter 1. I still don't own Lost… I think thats it.

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**Chapter 2 – Lost and Found**

The bag was pulled off Kate's head as she was pushed back into her cage. She closed her eyes momentarily, the light was blinding.

As Juliet began to walk away Kate noticed something missing. "Where's Sawyer?!"

Juliet responded but kept walking, "I'm sorry, Kate."

Kate stared at the spot Juliet had just been before an angry tear fell, then another. Sawyer was gone, probably dead. Her little conversation with Jack had only served to humiliate her. She looked around quickly. No one was visible and the camera was, surprisingly, broken. She had been studying this cage for several days now, contemplating various escape possibilities.

She'd never found a way for Sawyer to escape. It didn't matter now. She was able to climb to the top of the cage and slip through the bars in a matter of seconds…

---

As Sayid and Locke approached the beach Charlie ran up to them. "Hey, where's Eko?"

Sayid and Locke exchanged a glance. Locke spoke slowly, "He died in the jungle. He was killed by a boar. We buried him there… What did you need Charlie, maybe I can help you."

"What do you mean he was killed by a boar? Never mind, I don't need anything," Charlie answered quickly before turning around and hurrying right back to the beach.

"A boar?" Sayid looked at Locke quizzically.

"Well, we can't very well go around telling everyone 'the monster' killed him," Locke said, as if it had been a ridiculous question.

"It's probably best," Sayid started to walk away but was stopped but Locke's voice.

"Here, you might need this," Locke handed Sayid a first aid kit and walked away, leaving Sayid staring at him.

---

Jack was once again pacing his room. He thought he had a plan; a plan to save Kate and Sawyer and maybe himself too.

The door opened and Juliet entered with a bottle of water and a sandwich. He glared at her angrily. "I want to see Ben!"

When she only watched him and didn't move or speak he raised his voice, "NOW!"

"Jack-" she began.

"Let me talk to him," he yelled, turning his cold glare toward the camera in the corner.

"I was going to say he is already on his way," she paused and continued calmly, "I just thought you might be hungry."

Then she was gone. He glanced at the food. He wasn't hungry and from the look of Kate, she wasn't getting sandwiches. He felt sick and a little guilty. He couldn't eat when he knew she wasn't getting anything decent to eat. He had assumed that Kate and Sawyer were receiving treatment similar to his. But a cage outside?

He thoughts were broken by the sound of Ben entering the room on the other side of the clear wall.

"I heard that you wanted to see me, Jack."

"I'll do it, the surgery, but things are going to be done my way," Jack stated.

"I knew you would, Jack," Ben said, not looking surprised or grateful, "I assume you want to go home?"

"Before we discuss anything, I want to see Kate."

"That's not going to happen. You see, Jack, that's what I was going to tell you," Ben paused, "We can't find her."

---

Kate ran through the jungle. She had to get back the beach. She doubted Sawyer was alive and Jack had obviously betrayed her. _'How could I be so stupid?'_

Preoccupied by her thoughts, Kate did not pay enough attention to the ground. A sharp pain entered her consciousness as her foot caught on something. She let out a cry of pain and fell hard on her knees. Tears flooded her eyes but she blinked them away furiously. She took staggered breaths as she sat back carefully to look at her ankle. It was bruising rapidly but she didn't think it was broken, hopefully just a sprain.

A voice called out in the jungle "over here," and she heard someone running straight towards her.

She stood and began running again, pushing the pain out of her conscious mind as best she could. With every step the pain in the ankle grew more intense but she had to keep running.

They were getting closer but she couldn't give up, she saw a beach up ahead.

_Bang_! She became aware of a new pain. She dropped to her knees once more. She was vaguely aware of a hand on her arm before everything went dark.

---

Sayid sat in front of a small fire on the outskirts of the beach camp, staring into the flames. He was far enough away from the other castaways that he couldn't hear their laughter but he could see them in groups around fires. He knew they didn't feel as carefree as they looked but from all appearances they certainly didn't look like three of them, including their "leader", had just been taken by the others. Walt and Michael were who knew where.

Charlie had spread the news of Eko's death through the camp but since the body had already been buried and the funeral had already been held, Sayid suspected it wasn't really hitting them as hard as it should have. But how could he blame the other survivors for trying to hold onto every bit of good they could and ignore the bad? Sayid had helped bury Eko, just another casualty. While Sayid was certainly no stranger to death and suffering, that didn't mean it didn't have an effect on him. Still, he knew things would be different at this moment, he would find it easier to laugh with the others, had she still been alive. Had Shannon been alive…

The snap of a twig brought Sayid's head around, breaking his stare into the flames. He peered into the dark jungle. He knew he had heard something. He was about to grab his gun and investigate when someone stumbled out of the jungle. The man was injured, scratches, dried blood in various places, and dark bruises forming. Sayid recalled the first aid kit Locke had given him earlier. He retrieved it quickly and rushed to where the man was now falling down. Only when he prevented the man from falling and was holding him steady did Sayid recognize him, it was Sawyer.

---

"Jack, since Ethan is dead we don't have a surgeon anymore and we need you in the OR," Juliet said in a rushed voice upon entering his room.

He didn't even move from the corner he was sitting in. He wondered if Kate was back at the beach right now. For her sake, he hoped she was. He barely even looked up at Juliet. As much as he felt the need to save people, he didn't want to save any more of them, not unless he had to.

"Jack," Juliet spoke urgently, "It's Kate."

By the time she finished saying Kate's name he was out the door and walking down the hall. "Which way?"

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A/N: Thanks for the reviews:) I will probably have AT LEAST a chapter a day.


	3. Amnesia

I don't own Lost.

I actually had this written a couple days ago and intended to upload it then but my internet connection was down so I haven't been able to until now. In the future I will usually update once a day or once every other day. This chapter is longer than the last two though, because of the wait. Oh and, sorry I don't actually know anything about gun shot wounds.

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**Chapter 3 – Amnesia**

"What happened," Jack demanded of Juliet as they approached the OR.

"She was shot," Juliet responded quietly, as if afraid Jack would hear her.

"By who," Jack asked but was interrupted by the sound of yelling and objects being knocked to the floor in the room they were about to enter.

Jack burst into the room.

"What is he doing here!?" Pickett exclaimed as Jack and Juliet entered the room.

Juliet glared at Pickett, "She needs a doctor, don't be ridiculous. It's not like I let him go. Go tell Ben what's going on!"

Kate was awake, but obviously in pain. No one stood near her and several things were scattered on the ground. Kate looked like she was trying to get up.

"What the hell are you doing? Why isn't anyone doing anything to help her?" Jack angrily shouted at Pickett, who stared back at him incredulously.

Jack rushed to Kate's side as Pickett left the room, almost afraid to see the state she was in. After all, no one was even applying pressure to the wound, though it looked like someone had tried. He gently touched her cheek with the back of his hand, "Kate, it's going to be fine."

"Jack?" she asked quietly, relaxing a little as she ceased her struggling.

Juliet spoke softly from the corner, "After she regained consciousness she wouldn't let anyone close enough to her to check her wound."

The bullet had just grazed her left shoulder. He breathed a sigh of relief; it wasn't nearly as bad as he had been led to believe. Still, he needed to treat it and Kate was laying here in pain. "Juliet, what sedatives do you have?"

Juliet looked at him, surprised. It didn't really seem necessary in this case, "we need to save our supplies-"

"What do you have?" Jack demanded.

"um," Juliet pulled open the drawer next to her, "Lorazepam… Diazepam…. Ketamine… Meperidine… Morphine.."

"Give me 5mg morphine," Jack commanded. Juliet handed him the syringe and he simply found a vein to put it in and set then syringe aside.

He watched her face relax completely, and then he quickly cleaned up and bandaged the wound.

---

Sayid had finished bandaging, and in some cases stitching up, most of Sawyer's wounds. He wondered how Locke had known he would need a first-aid kit. Sun was now leaning over Sawyer, having taken over for Sayid. She was just finishing cleaning up one of the last cuts when she said, "I think he is waking up."

Sayid rushed back over just as Sawyer opened his eyes, "what are you doing back here?"

"Well, thought you'd all be happy to see me back. Home sweet home, ya know. But you don't look so cheery," just then he was interrupt by a fit of coughs. "Son of a bitch…"

Sayid glanced at Sun, "Sawyer, how did you get back. Were Kate and Jack with you?"

Sawyer was silent for a moment, "Freckles, was gone when one of them came and got me outta my cage."

"Was Jack there?" Sun asked.

"We only saw the Doc once. They were leadin' him somewhere, had a bag over his head. Ain't seen him since. Freckles might have though."

"You escaped," Sayid stated, but the implied question was 'how?'

"I don't remember," Sawyer said, sounding frustrated.

"What _do_ you remember?" Sayid pressed for information.

Sawyer shook his head a little, "Nothing. One of them wanted to kill me, revenge for his damn girlfriend gettin' shot."

Sayid and Sun exchanged a glance. Sayid waited for a moment, but Sawyer didn't say anything else. "Was he man you said came and took you?"

Sawyer nodded, "That's all I remember."

"Is there anything else? Anything at all. Where did he take you? Is he the one that did this to you?" Sayid fired questions at him.

"I told you! I don't know!" Sawyer half-shouted, coughing again.

Sayid just sat back and sighed.

---

Jack was sitting against the wall in the OR a couple hours later when Pickett exploded into the room once more. "Get her out of here," he said to Jack as he looked around.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Get her out of here, NOW, we're gonna need this room. You have 10 minutes."

Jack watched Pickett leave the room. He walked over to Kate to see how she was doing. He knew she would be fine, he just didn't want to wake her up, especially when she looked so peaceful. "Kate," he spoke her name softly and touched her good shoulder gently.

Kate's eyes fluttered open and she blinked a few times in confusion. "Jack? What's happening?"

"You were shot at, but it's not serious, the bullet barely grazed your shoulder."

She stared at him and moved her right hand and touched the bandage on her left shoulder, as if confused. She sat up but a little too quickly and felt lightheaded. She thought she might fall back onto the pillow but Jack steadied her.

"Do you think you can walk?" He asked her, and then quickly added, "Just for a minute. I think they are clearing out this room."

She nodded without hesitation. She swung her legs around so that she was sitting on the hospital-style bed, her feet dangling just above the ground. She felt a little drugged, maybe she was. She felt confused. The last thing she remembered was Juliet taking her to talk to Jack. She closed her eyes; everything was coming back to her. Breaking down in front of Jack, going back to the cages, Sawyer gone, escaping... running…

She started to stand, putting her right foot on the ground. She winced slightly. Then she remembered falling. Her ankle didn't bother her nearly as much as it had then. She was about to stand up completely when Jack pushed her back carefully, "sit back down, Kate."

She complied but argued a little, "Jack, it's really nothing, it doesn't even really hurt."

"That's probably because the morphine hasn't worn off yet," he said as knelt down and gently rolled up the right leg of her pants. He carefully examined her ankle, noticing her wincing as he touched it. "It's a pretty bad sprain Kate."

_Morphine? _So she was a little drugged. "It's not that bad," she insisted weakly.

Jack was already up and rummaging through drawers. He returned with some Ibuprofen, a glass of water, and an elastic bandage. "Take these," he handed her the medicine and the water and knelt back down and began wrapping her ankle. "Try to rest it as much as you can or you can permanently injure yourself."

"Jack," she interrupted him after she took the pills, then she stopped talking, not sure she was capable of asking him the question on her mind.

"What?" he looked up at her, alarmed by the pained look on her face. He thought maybe the morphine was wearing off but then she started speaking again.

A single tear rolled down her cheek and she took a deep breath before asking, she just had to know, "why--," she breathed again. He was just watching her, looking concerned. She hesitated more, not wanting to ask, but needing to. She spoke in a rush, "why couldn't you just do the surgery!?" She stifled a sob.

He stood, staring at her. He felt a surge of anger, why was she accusing him like this! He watched her, slowly softening as a few more tears rolled down her cheek. He reached out to wipe away her tears but she turned away. He was confused. He had planned on doing the surgery! He was going to do it! He was going to do it because she had asked him to!!

Then it occurred to him, something must have happened. "Kate," he reached out to her and lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes, "I don't know what you are talking about, what happened?"

She closed her eyes for a long second, trying not to cry. "Kate, look at me, and tell me what happened?"

"Sawyer…" she opened her eyes and looked deep into his, "when I came back he was… he was gone!"

"Kate, I'm sure he's fine," Jack assured her, though he was trying to hide his doubt.

Kate felt doubtful, yet he sounded so sure and so convincing. Juliet had made it sound like Sawyer was dead, but maybe he wasn't. She nodded, feeling slightly better, though her head was still clouded by the effects of the morphine.

He helped her to stand. He was going to move to her side and put his arm around her for support but he became captivated by her eyes, she was so beautiful, he couldn't look away. He found himself leaning towards her slowly. He was overwhelmed but a sudden desire to kiss her, damn the consequences. She moved closer to him as well. He could feel her warm breath on his lips, she was so close. He wrapped his arms around her and began to close the small gap between them when the door swung open.

Kate quickly backed away from him, looking startled.

"What," Jack said, annoyed by the interruption. He had his back turned and couldn't see the door. He was startled when Juliet spoke up.

"Jack, we need this room now," Juliet looked away, still standing in the doorway.

"Fine," he said, putting his arm around Kate to help support her.

"No Jack," Juliet walked toward them, "you are staying here."

Jack was about to refuse when a couple of the others walked into the room and grabbed Kate, dragging her out of the room before Jack could even think. "Why?" he practically shouted at Juliet, "you can't let them put her back in that cage!"

"Because, Jack," Juliet said, seemingly abnormally calm in comparison to Jack's angry tone, "you have a surgery to perform. Ben will-"

"Ben doesn't deserve-" Jack began before he was interrupted by Juliet.

"Ben will be here momentarily to talk to you. He told us to prep the OR," she watched him for a second before she finished, "By the way, Jack, there are camera's in here…"

"Why? You actually think I'm going to do something?" He glared at her, clearly frustrated.

"I wasn't worried about the surgery," she turned her back to the camera and leaned in close to Jack, whispering now, "The more you show that you care for Kate, the more they are going to use her against you."

She stepped away, walking past him now, and continued talking, now at a normal volume, "Don't worry, she won't be kept outside, we can't risk her escaping again."

---

Sawyer lay on the beach, reading a book. Since his return the only people to talk to him had been Sayid and Sun. The others had stayed at a distance, as if afraid of him. He figured Sayid had told all the beach-goers that he didn't remember anything and they probably thought it pointless to strike up a conversation with him. Not that they ever did before, not that he needed or wanted them to. He laughed aloud at the thought of needing someone. He could just picture the faces of the other survivors if he suddenly got all sensitive and crap. It was just ridiculously hilarious.

"Something funny, James?" Locke inquired, suddenly standing over Sawyer.

Sawyer was startled, but he tried to cover it up, "What are you doing at the beach, Mr. Hatch?"

"The hatch was blown up, mind if I?" Locke motioned to the ground, asking to sit, but he didn't wait for Sawyer to respond before he settled into the sand.

Sawyer ignored the request anyway, "What do you mean, blown up!?"

"No one entered the numbers, Desmond turned a fail-safe key. The hatch was blown up."

Sawyer exhaled slowly. Blown-up? "Well, that still doesn't explain why you're here."

"I just wanted to ask you a question," Locke glanced at Sawyer.

"Ask away," Sawyer mumbled sarcastically.

"What did they do with you, the others?" Locke asked intently, though he seemed unconcerned and was drawing circles in the sand with a small stick until he had finished asking, then he watched Sawyer for a reply.

"Nothing!" Sawyer exclaimed, "They kept Kate and me in a cage and made us haul stuff. They were building something, didn't tell us what though. What's it to you?"

"It's nothing," Locke replied easily, then stood and began to walk away.

Sawyer mumbled something incoherent and returned his attention to his book.

---

Kate was being led down a hallway by one of the others she didn't recognize. She was definitely not following doctor's orders; she had been walking on her ankle for 15 minutes now. She thought back to the last minute she had been in the OR. She had thought Jack was about to kiss her, she was sure of it. She remembered their kiss in the jungle, and running afterwards. Had they kissed just now, she couldn't have gone anywhere. Was that what she wanted? Was Jack who she cared most about? She shook her head to herself, no, she didn't deserve him anyway.

Suddenly she heard a loud _clunck_ behind her. She turned to see Alex, the girl who had tried to help Kate and Sawyer escape, standing over the man who had been escorting Kate, who was out cold. "Hey, what are yo-" she was cut off by Alex placing her hand over Kate's mouth and muttering "ssh!"

She moved her hand and after she was sure Kate was going to remain quiet she talked quietly, "just follow me, and _don't _ask questions."

Kate hung back a moment before deciding following Alex was her best option. She limped slightly as she followed Alex down the hall.

---

Jack paced the OR, occasionally throwing a glare at Juliet. Suddenly the door opened and just when Jack expected Ben to enter the room, Tom did.

"Julie, we need to talk," Tom started, then, eyeing Jack, he added, "in the hall."

Juliet nodded though Jack thought she looked a little reluctant.

"Where's Ben," Jack demanded.

"Ben has some business to take care of," Tom replied before closing the door behind them.

---

Kate and Alex had been walking for several minutes now in silence. Suddenly they heard footsteps and people talking around a corner. Alex opened the nearest door, "get in here," she pushed Kate into the room and closed the door, just as a couple others walked around the corner.

"Hey, Alex, we were just looking for you, come with us, Ben wants to see you," they kept walking and as soon as they had past Alex glanced at the door, she would have to come back as soon as she could. She followed the others down the hall.

---

Kate caught herself before she fell. She was about to protest when Alex closed the door. She heard people talk, and then the footsteps were fading away. Still, Alex didn't come in. Maybe something had happened. Kate looked around the room, maybe she should try to leave without Alex's assistance, even though the last time she had escaped hadn't gone too well. Something caught her eye. The room was some kind of storage facility. She noticed a stack of folders on a desk, the top one was open and she saw a picture lying among the papers within. It was a man in hospital scrubs, it was Jack. She walked over slowly, sitting in a chair that was at the desk. She looked at the file.

Dr. Jack Shephard. She stared at the file, there were pages and pages of information. She probably shouldn't read it, she thought. It was Jack's personal information. She was still debating whether or not to read it when she saw her file. She pulled it out from the pile, accidentally knocking several other files to the floor. She ignored the papers on the ground and opened her file.

Katherine Austen. It was all here. She couldn't believe how detailed the file was. Information was included she could have sworn the authorities never knew. She didn't even bother to read it all. She was about to destroy the file when it occurred to her that if she did so, they would know she had been here. She flipped through the pages quickly. She grabbed some of the most revealing pages and folded them, sticking them in her pocket. She hoped no one would check her file anytime soon.

She heard a noise outside and bent down, gathering up the files. Something caught her eye, the name Shephard, Christian Shephard. She picked up the page. The top line said the information was on Claire Littleton. It said Christian Shephard was her father. But Shephard was Jack's last name, right? She stuffed the page in her pocket and stacked the remaining files before the door opened.

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A/N: Please review. I have most of the next chapter written but I probably will wait to post it until I have some reviews. What was good? What was bad? Should I continue?  Was this too much to happen in one chapter?


	4. I Don't Remember!

I don't own Lost. Thanks to those who reviewed.

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**Chapter 4 – I Don't Remember!!**

Kate watched the door as it opened, relieved to see it was Alex who burst into the room saying, "Come quickly."

Kate didn't move, her tone was cold, "where's Sawyer?"

"He's gone," Alex said, "hurry! There isn't much time."

"Gone where?" Kate demanded, still unwilling to just follow like she had before. She would have asked questions earlier if she hadn't been so taken by surprise.

"He's probably back at your camp by now," Alex peaked her head into the hall and motioned for Kate to follow.

Kate followed now, knowing Alex was right about having to hurry. Relief flooded her body as she heard Alex's words. Sawyer was alive. She lowered her voice before asking more questions, "they let him go?"

"No, I helped him escape," Alex responded, quickly navigating the facility. Within minutes they exited the building. "This way!"

"So where are-" but Kate never got to ask her next question as she suddenly felt the cold tip of a gun pressing against the side of her head.

"There you are," Pickett exclaimed, looking as moody as ever. He glared at Alex, "what do you think you are doing, letting another of them go! When Ben hears about this-"

"You don't have any proof of anything. My dad won't do anything to me. It doesn't matter anyway. He already took Karl!" Alex interrupted.

"Karl is alive, but when I tell Ben what you've been up to he probably won't be much longer." He pulled Kate by the arm back towards the building.

Kate saw the tears instantly form in Alex's eyes before Pickett yanked her away. She bit her lip lightly in response to a sharp pain through her shoulder. Maybe the morphine was wearing off.

---

Sawyer lay in his tent, eyes closed, trying to sleep. However, he was finding it impossible to sleep because the loud wailing of a baby was coming from nearby. After several minutes he stormed out of his tent and over to where Claire sat holding Aaron, apparently attempting to soothe him. "Can't you shut the damn kid up!" Sawyer barked.

Claire looked startled and was about to shout back at Sawyer but just then Aaron stopped crying and smiled at Sawyer, squealing in delight. Claire laughed lightly, "You know, I can't figure out why he likes you. Do you think you could do me a favor real quick?"

"A favor? Like what!?"

"Could you hold Aaron for a minute? I have to go do something and I don't know where anyone else is, you seem to be the only one still here."

Sawyer looked around the beach, noticing for the first time that there really was no one around. It was like a conspiracy! He grumbled something and tried to think of an excuse but Claire had already handed Aaron to him and was walking away, she called over her shoulder, "I'll be right back."

Sawyer looked down at the baby, who in turn looked up at him. After a moment the child started crying softly. Sawyer started talking to him quietly and the baby fell asleep, "I don't know why I even came out of my tent. I could be sleeping right now. Instead I gotta do _favors_ for people..."

---

Jack's anger and confusion was building up quickly. Juliet and Tom re-entered the room moments later, neither speaking. Jack waited in silence for several minutes before the door opened again and Ben entered the room.

"What makes you think I am going to do this surgery?" Jack questioned Ben as he strode over to him.

"You are going to do this surgery because, Jack, if you don't, Danny Pickett has orders to kill Kate. And Jack, if you do anything or make any threats, he will not hesitate to fulfill my orders, even if it means letting me die." Ben turned around and began walking towards the hospital bed, "Juliet will assist you and we have whatever you need."

"Let Kate go," was all Jack said.

"That is not an option Jack." Ben said calmly, "but after you do this surgery, assuming you don't do anything stupid, then we will move Kate out of the cages and you and I will discuss getting off this island. But we will not discuss it until then."

Jack stared at Ben, weighing his options. He could try and bargain Ben's life for Kate's freedom and risk Ben telling the truth about the death threat or he could do the surgery and risk them never getting away from the others. This may be their only chance. But he couldn't risk Kate's life. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if his plan backfired.

"I want to see her, before the surgery, alone! And I want your word that you will let us go." Jack waited for Ben's reaction.

"Unfortunately I can't make you a promise like that, Jack. I will do my best but there are no guarantees. I can, however, let you see Kate, but then you will do the surgery."

"No, I want your word, after I do the surgery you will let us go back to our camp." Jack insisted.

Ben watched Jack for a moment and then relented, "Okay, Jack. If you do this surgery I give you my word I will let you and Kate go back." He nodded to Juliet, "Take him to see her. Give him 5 minutes. Then get right back here."

---

Kate sat against the cold wall in a room she vaguely remember as being the one she had visited Jack in. Her ankle was throbbing, her shoulder ached, and her head was pounding. At least she was able to sit down. She leaned her head against the wall. What would happen next? Where was Jack? She closed her eyes, trying to sleep since she didn't know what was going on or how long she would be left in here.

At least she knew Sawyer was alive. Her memory from the past few hours was a little hazy, no doubt from the drugs. She remembered yelling something at Jack about not doing the surgery. She felt a wave of guilt crash over her. It hadn't been Jack's fault, in fact, nothing was anybodies _fault_. After all, thanks to Alex, Sawyer was probably back at the beach now, reading and snapping at anyone who came within 15 feet of him. A small, sad smile appeared on her lips as she pictured it. What if she had been given the opportunity to escape, as she almost had? Would she have taken it? Kate wanted to think she wouldn't have even looked back but she was unsure if she could leave Jack here. She didn't want to leave if he was stuck here.

The door to the room creaked open but Kate didn't even glance up. She didn't want to have to move. What did they want with her now?

"Kate," Jack had crossed the room quickly and was now sitting down next to her as the door shut.

She looked up at him in surprise, flinching a little at the pain of moving her head. "Hi."

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Jack looked at her in a very concerned way.

"No, they didn't do anything to me but drag me back here after that girl, Alex, tried to help me escape." Suddenly excitement danced in her eyes, "Jack, Sawyers not dead, he escaped."

"That's great," he thought that was good for sawyer but he couldn't help the twinge of jealousy he felt at Kate's enthusiasm. "Listen, Kate. I have to that surgery, for Ben."

"Why?" she asked, eye's narrowing in confusion. Now that Sawyer was gone, what did it matter, Ben didn't deserve Jack's help.

"It doesn't matter," Jack didn't want to tell Kate that if he didn't they were going to kill her. He looked into her hazel eyes pleadingly, "I just have to. Anyway, Kate I am going to do all I can to get them to let us go but I don't trust Ben. If you get the chance to leave, you have to take it."

"No," Kate didn't even think of it, "I'm not leaving here without you."

"Please, promise me that-"

"No, Jack. You're the one who said it, live together, die alone," hurt resonated in her voice and she turned slightly away from him.

Silence filled the room and Jack felt frustrated, not knowing what to say, "yeah."

Juliet opened the door and looked in, "It's time to go Jack."

---

Sayid walked along the beach towards Sawyers tent. As he had hoped, Sawyer was sitting outside reading. Sayid stepped in front of Sawyer who immediately exclaimed, "Hey, you're blocking my light, buddy!"

"Do you remember what happened yet?" Sayid asked in greeting.

"What do you mean _what happened_? Why does it matter to you?"

"I need to know how you escaped."

"And why would you need to know that?"

"Because I need to surmise weather or not it is possible to rescue Jack and Kate."

"Rescue them?" Sawyer stood up now, "There are at least 20 of them, just that I saw, and guess what Captain Arab, they are all armed! Not to mention the whole damn thing about them being on some other island."

Sayid's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to Sawyer, "If they are on another island, then how did you get here."

"What are you suggesting?!"

"Well, you say you don't remember how you got here. Then you say they are on another island while you are attempting to convince me not to undertake a rescue mission. Why are you determined not to cooperate? Are you working with them? Spying on us?" Sayid seemed oblivious to the fact that a small group of the survivors was gathering to watch what was quickly becoming a heated argument.

"Working with them? Now why the HELL would I do something like that?"

"You've been gone several days. How should we know what they might have offered you in return or what happened while you were with them?"

"Go if you want! I ain't stopping you. I'm just saying, it's not the smartest idea."

"Jack would have gone for any one of us. I think we owe it to him to at least consider it. Now I just want to know how you got here Sawyer."

"On a damn boat." Sawyer turned around, lifting the flap to his tent and preparing to enter.

"What kind of a boat?"

Sawyer let go of the flap and spun around, "I dunno. Some kind of little motorboat."

"How did you get a boat," Sayid was eying him skeptically.

"Some teenage girl, Alex-"

"Are you talking about Danielle's daughter, Alex, is she with them?" Sayid interjected.

"I don't know, could've been."

"Do you know where the boat is still?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us about it before?"

"Because I really didn't remember!"

Sayid turned and headed straight for the jungle.

"Where are you going!" Sawyer shouted.

"To find Danielle. We are leaving in two hours."

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A/N: By the way I realize I re-used two of Sawyers nicknames for Sayid  I just can't think of anything else he might call him.

I greatly appreciate reviews so if you have a second please leave one.


	5. Backfired

Happy Fourth of July

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**Chapter 5 – Backfired…**

Sawyer was sitting on his spot on the beach, still cursing under his breath, when Sayid came traipsing out of the jungle. He could see Rousseau standing at the edge of the jungle. He stood and met Sayid halfway, "so what are you planning on doing? Just walking into their camp and asking 'em 'hey you wanna hand over our friends and let us go?' I'm telling you, they ain't gonna let us just leave."

"If you are afraid, you don't have to come, Sawyer, just tell me where to find the boat." Sayid stared Sawyer in the eye, "but you know they would have gone back for you."

Sawyer grumbled something incoherent, "when the hell are we leaving?"

"Now."

---

Jack stitched Ben up slowly, looking regretful. He followed Juliet to a sink where they washed their hands. He had preformed the surgery in virtual silence. Juliet had tried to strike up a conversation several times but Jack only provided her with one word answers. "Jack," she started to say something but he interrupted her.

"Take me back, Ben will wake up soon and I'll check up on him in a few hours."

Juliet nodded and led Jack out into the hall. They walked silently all the way to his 'cell' and Jack entered without a word. Kate was lying asleep in the corner. Jack walked over to her and sat down beside her as the door closed. He watched her sleeping form for a few moments. She looked so calm, so peaceful and at ease. She looked so beautiful. After a while he fell asleep also.

---

Sayid, Sawyer, and Danielle had been walking through the jungle now for half an hour, following Sawyer's directions. "How much farther?" Sayid questioned without looking back.

"I don't know!" Sawyer replied with an irritated tone, "I was a little out of it, I think not far."

"We're here," Danielle said, pointing through the trees to a small boat visible just off shore.

---

Jack awoke suddenly; surprised he had actually fallen asleep. Opening his eyes he saw Kate sitting in the same corner she had been in before only this time she was facing away from him, awake.

"Kate," Jack watched as she turned around, startled as he saw her tear-stained face. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" He could almost see her put up a mental wall as she forced a smile, "Nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

He searched for something to say, and then his eyes fell on the bandage on her shoulder. "Let me look at that."

"It's fine, Jack," she was turning away again.

He moved closer to her and began checking the wound, "it's important that I make sure it doesn't become infected…"

She nodded silently and allowed him to look at it.

"It's healing fine. Let me look at your ankle." Jack did so without waiting for her approval.

She winced suddenly as he was examining her ankle and he looked up at her in concern, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine…"

"Are you okay?" Jack asked her as he finished.

"I'm-" she began.

"Don't say fine, Kate, you don't have to lie to me," he felt slightly frustrated. Why was she pretending she was fine when she clearly wasn't.

The door opened and Juliet entered, carrying a tray of food for Jack and Kate. She set it down on the table, along with a couple of water bottles. She looked hesitantly at Jack, as if she wanted to talk but she glanced briefly at Kate and started to leave.

"Take me to talk to Ben." Jack said suddenly, jumping to his feet.

"He doesn't want to see you right now, Jack, maybe later." Juliet closed the door behind her.

Jack turned around and watched Kate as she stood slowly and walked towards where Juliet had left the food.

Her stomach growled, she couldn't remember when the last time she had eaten was. She picked up a sandwich and began eating.

"Be careful how fast you eat that," Jack warned.

Kate nodded in acknowledgement but continued eating at a ravenous pace anyway.

"Hey what's this?" she heard Jack ask.

"Hm?" she turned to where he was picking up a stack of folded papers. She dropped the sandwich back onto the tray. Her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed hard. "That's mine!" She snatched the papers from his hand angrily and shoved them into her pocket.

"What it is?" Jack challenged.

"It's-," she took a deep breath, he couldn't ever know about her. She had hoped to have an opportunity to destroy the papers from her file. She couldn't let him read them and know what exactly she had done! He wouldn't even want to associate with her. "It's nothing!"

"Huh! Clearly," Jack strode towards her, "What do those papers say? Where did you get them?"

"It's none of your business," Kate was breathing rapidly, feeling panicked. What could she say, what could she do. She felt backed into a corner. Jack was looking very insistant. Finally, an idea struck her. Maybe she could take his mind off the whole stack off papers if she showed him just one… She took a deep breath and managed, rather reluctantly, "Jack. What's your last name again?"

He stopped and stared at her, confused, "what? Shephard. Why?"

"Is… Was your father's name Christian Shephard?"

Jack's expression turned a little cold, "Why! Why the hell would you ask me that, Kate?!"

She was surprised at his anger, she stepped back, "I... I just… I found this when I was trying to escape." She withdrew the papers from her pocket and handed him the top one, pointing out a line halfway down the page to him.

Jack ran a hand across his head and inhaled sharply. He couldn't be reading it right. It looked like this paper said that his father was… Claire's father also. He dropped it like it was burning him.

"Where did you get this," his voice was quiet and he watched her, feeling disoriented. "Where?!"

"A file room…" she had underestimated his reaction. In her desperation she had neglected to think that if Jack found out Claire was his half-sister he might not be thrilled, after all, he obviously hadn't known he had a half-sister.

He door opened again and Tom entered and quickly crossed to Kate. "Hand over the papers."

Kate picked the paper up from the floor and handed it to Tom.

"No, Kate, the ones from your file."

She reached into her pocket slowly and pulled out the papers. She stared down at them in her hand.

"Kate, give them to me."

She looked from the papers, to Tom, and back again. Tom took them from her roughly, "What did you think you were going to accomplish from stealing them, we all know what you've done, Kate."

Jack looked confused, "Kate, what's…"

But Kate was looking at Tom imploringly, "please don't… don't..." she stole a glance at Jack.

Tom laughed humorlessly, "Your secret's safe with me. But Ben isn't going to like it when he hears you've been in the file room."

"I didn't touch anything else, I swear."

"We'll see," Tom exited the room as quickly as he'd come.

"What were those paper's Kate?" Jack inquired.

"It's not important." Kate sat back down in the corner and closed her eyes, trying not to let Jack see the tears threatening to escape.

---

Sawyer leaned over the railing off the little boat as they sailed across the ocean, staring at the island they were rapidly nearing.

Sayid approached him, "so tell me all you know about their camp." He listened as Sawyer sighed and then explained the little bit of the camp he had seen.

After a moment Sayid nodded slowly, "we'll have to split up when we get there, that way if one of us is caught, not all of us are."

---

Jack was sitting a feet away from Kate. A thousand thoughts were flying through his mind. He had known his father had affairs, but he would have never guessed he had a half-sister. Memories were flooding back to him of birthdays and other important occasions his father had been absent from. His father had been gone a lot. Looking back he couldn't help but feel resentful. He remembered his father making trips to Australia. He stupid he was, Jack thought, that he hadn't realized his father had probably been visiting his other family. He slammed fist against the wall suddenly in anger, making Kate jump slightly and looked at him, alarmed.

Why hadn't Claire said anything? Surely she had heard Jack's last name at some point. Shouldn't she have considered the connection? He felt angry. Who was he angry at? Claire? No, none of this was her fault. Kate? Why had she showed him that paper? Just to distract him? Why?! But it wasn't her fault either. It was his fathers fault.

"I'm sorry," Kate said sincerely, bringing her gaze from the floor to Jack.

"It's not your fault, Kate." Jack responded numbly.

---

Sawyer led Danielle and Sayid around to the cages. "This is where they were keeping me and Kate…" he trailed off as the cages came into view; no one in sight, Kate had probably been moved. He continued after a moment of silence, he pointed, "that's where we saw the 'Doc, being moved from that building, to that one. That's all I know."

They moved away together as Sayid scanned the area, "Alright, we will have to make some observations, see what we can figure out. Let's split up. We'll meet back here in an hour."

They went their separate ways.

Sayid crept through the jungle silently, observing the camp from afar, hoping to see any clue to where they were keeping Jack and Kate. Suddenly he heard a noise behind him and turned just in time to see a fist coming at him. Then everything went black.

---

Sayid awoke suddenly and realized he was in one of the cages Sawyer had pointed out earlier. He groaned as he touched the side of his face and when he pulled it back it was bloody. He remained still so that the man outside of the cage wouldn't realize he was awake and listened. The man was speaking on a walkie-talkie. "It's Jarrah, don't know how he got here. I'll find out if he's alone."

Sayid couldn't understand the voice over the walkie-talkie but then the man turned around and looked into the cage. "Who are you with?"

"No one," Sayid responded easily, standing up now since the man obviously knew he was awake.

"No, really, who are you with?"

"I already told you, I am here alone."

"How did you get here?"

Sayid figured there was really only one answer to this anyway, no sense lying, "in a boat."

"And where did you get this boat?"

"Where are Jack and Kate?"

The man laughed and pulled out his walkie-talkie again, turning away from Sayid and walking out of ear-shot, "Ben, I don't think Jarrah's going to talk to me. I'm no interrogator."

"Let him talk to Jack."

"Why?"

"So Jack will know why I have to go back on my deal with him. Things are going to be a little different now."

---

Tom entered the room Jack and Kate were in. "Jack, you have a visitor."

Jack's eyes narrowed in confusion, "who?"

"Just come with me," Tom insisted. When Jack stood and walked towards the door he added, "And here, put this over your head."

---

Sawyer watched from the jungle as Tom conversed with Sayid. He swore under his breath. Now things were going to be even more difficult. He looped back towards the spot they had separated at, waiting for Rousseau.

---

Sayid looked up in surprise as the man he had been speaking with earlier led Jack towards the cages, a bag over his head.

"I'll be right over here, Jack, so don't get any smart ideas." He took the bag off Jack's head and stepped a ways away.

Jack blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light. Then he blinked again in total bewilderment. What was Sayid doing here? "Sayid! What's going on?! What are you doing here?"

Sayid spoke quietly, so Tom couldn't hear. "We came to try to help you and Kate escape."

Jack swore and sighed, "Well, now you've just complicated things. They were going to let us go!"

"Why would they let you go, Jack," Sayid asked suspiciously. "Sawyer told me about them." 

"Because I did them a favor," Jack said in a low, angry tone, "and now it was probably all for nothing."

"Time's up Jack," Tom approached them, holding out the bag.

"What the hell was the point of bringing me out here?!"

"Just put the bag back over your head, Jack, or I will have to do it for you. Ben wants to see you." Tom said as Jack took the bag from him and reluctantly placed it over his own head again.

---

"Nice to see you again, Jack," Ben greeted from his bed as Jack entered the room.

"When are you going to let us go?"

"Well, you see Jack, that's the problem. Now that Sayid is here things are different. And I know he isn't alone, when we find whoever he has with him, it's just not possible Jack, I'm sorry."

"The hell you are!" Jack shouted, "I did your surgery on _your word_ that you would let us go!"

"I really am sorry, Jack. I will do my best to keep my word but when I made that promise it was just you and Kate here." Then he picked up the walkie-talkie, "take him back."

A couple of the others walked into the room and seized Jack.

"I'm not done talking to you!" but Jack was then dragged out and back to his room. Fuming he entered the room; he figured he'd talk it out with Kate, make a plan. But she wasn't there…

---

Kate could tell by the lighting though the bag and the sounds that she was outside. She heard a familiar sound, a cage door creaking open. Pickett tore the bag off her head and shoved her into the cage, slamming the door shut and locking it.

She glanced up briefly, at the wide cage bars at the top. Why were they putting her back in the same cage, it didn't make sense. She could just escape.

"Don't think we're stupid, here, handcuff yourself to the bars." He handed her a pair of handcuffs.

She stared at him incredulously. She hated the idea of being handcuffed in here. She hated handcuffs. She couldn't stand the thought of being so completely trapped. Why had they taken her back here, what was going on.

"Don't make me do it for you," Pickett warned.

Angrily Kate complied, sitting down first so she wouldn't handcuff herself in a position that she would have to remain standing, not wanting to deal with him coming in here. "Why did you bring me back out here?"

"We couldn't have a thief in our midst," Pickett left, looking satisfied.

"Kate!" she turned as someone called out her name, it was Sayid.

She gripped the bars with her other hand and gawked at him, "Sayid! What are you doing here?"

"I came with Sawyer, and Danielle. We came to help you escape."

She looked down at the ground, "So he really got back okay? Sawyer?"

"Yes, he is fine," Sayid hastily replied, "What is going on here?"

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A/N: I had some major writers block, sorry. Reviews are good motivators….

So now Jack, Kate, and Sayid (I hated to write him being captured  but it won't last long) are being held captive by the others and it's up to crazy French chick Rousseau  and Sawyer  to help them escape… maybe they have other help…

Happy Jate soon, I promise. Please review.


	6. Escape Part 1

A/N: Sorry for the wait. I have been very busy with summer school (which will be over Thursday) and very sick suddenly. I haven't been able to get online much.

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**Chapter 6 – Escape Part 1**

Sawyer sat on the ground, listening carefully for any noise nearby. He had no desire to get caught again but, unfortunately, he had to wait for Rousseau. He sighed heavily, more than anything he wanted to hop back aboard the boat and sail back to the beach, which even he was now coming to see as home. Damn crazy French chick, he thought, where was she? He looked up and jumped to his feet, startled to see Danielle standing a few feet away. He hadn't heard her approach. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Sayid was captured."

"I know that! I was beginning to think you'd been too!"

"So what do you suggest we do now?" she asked evenly, though Sawyer couldn't tell if she was trying to be sarcastic or if she was genuinely asking his opinion.

---

A tear ran down Kate's face as she looked frustrated down at the handcuffs, she felt panicked and claustrophobic. She fought to keep her face calm. She had studied the handcuffs long enough to know she wouldn't be able to pick the lock and it wasn't possible for her to slip her hand out of it. The feeling of being truly trapped brought fear into her heart. She suddenly yanked her arm down as hard and fast as she could. She cried out softly in pain but quickly silenced herself. So that wasn't going to work, she concluded.

Sayid was pacing back and forth in the other cage, the one Sawyer had been in, presumably thinking of a plan. He glanced at her occasionally but stopped entirely at her cry of pain. He walked to the door of his cage and placed his hands on the bars and called out to her, "Kate."

She looked over at him, attempting to mask her anxiety.

He paused momentarily, Kate figured he was going to give her advice of some kind but he seemed to sense she needed to focus on something else and he didn't. When he spoke it was only questions, "What happened after Sawyer escaped?"

She took a deep breath and told him quickly about escaping, getting shot and hurting her ankle, Juliet letting Jack treat her wounds, the file room (though she carefully avoided any details), Jack performing Ben's surgery, staying in Jack's room temporarily, and being brought back here. She stopped abruptly and waited for Sayid's reaction.

He nodded slowly, as if he were analyzing all the information she had given him. "And why would they bring you back out here."

"The one they call Picket, he said it's because I'm a criminal." She averted her gaze as she said it, as if ashamed.

Sayid nodded as if that made sense. If that were really their reasoning it would make sense. Jack was kept inside while Sawyer, Kate, and Sayid spent their time staying with the others in the cages.

Kate spoke up again, "But I think there's more to it. Their leader, Ben, he likes to play mind games. I don't know what his plan is."

Suddenly there was a movement in the trees and both of them turned to see what it was. They thought they saw someone but their attention was directed to Pickett, who was swiftly walking towards them. "How're ya feelin'?" he asked in a sarcastic manner to Kate. He walked towards her, "it's a pity we had to handcuff you, Kate. We tried to forgive you for what you've done."

Kate's eyes narrowed in confusion. Them? Forgive her for what she's done? Were they referring to her 'criminal activity' because why in the world would they think that they were in the place to grant her forgiveness? They had absolutely nothing to do with her past. She saw Sayid observing from the other cage.

"But you ruined your second chance-" he continued. BANG, Kate's eyes widened slightly in surprised as Pickett abruptly stopped talking and toppled over, blood seeping onto the ground. She glanced up to see Rousseau standing with her rifle, she could see Sawyer there as well.

Rousseau rushed forward and found a set of key in Pickett's pocket. She quickly unlocked Kate's cage and, to Kate's greatest relief, her handcuffs. Then she hurried to Sayid's cage, unlocking it in seconds.

Kate leaned down stealthily and retrieved something from Pickett's body and slipped it behind her, and then she ran with the others swiftly into the jungle.

---

Jack stood as Juliet entered the room, "When the HELL is Ben going to keep his word? If ever," he laughed bitterly, "silly of me to do his surgery," he glared at the camera, "successfully! On his word alone that we would go free."

"You should really eat something," Juliet crossed the room almost to him, and then set the plate of food, a hamburger, on the table with a bottle of water. Turning to leave she, momentarily turned her back on the camera and mouthed 'I'm sorry'. Jack let out a sigh of frustration and hit the wall, then his stomach growled and he gave in and ate the food.

---

Sawyer and Sayid were walking silently through the jungle, Rousseau was somewhere up ahead and Kate had said she would catch up with them momentarily. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a teenage girl was standing in front of them. Sayid was amazed at the resemblance; he was sure at once that this was Alex Rousseau.

"Why did you come back," she hissed at Sawyer.

Sawyer glared at her, "well, though you seem to be running some kind of single-handed resistance group here, our Iraqi," he ignored Sayid's glare, "decided he needed to make himself look like a hero."

"They know you've escaped," Alex informed them, "they are looking for you. I can help you get safely to the boat but you've got to do something for me!"

"What would we do for you?" Sayid inquired, looking doubtful that the help she could offer them was worth any favors.

"My boyfriend, Karl, he's being kept somewhere, my dad is going to kill him if he doesn't escape." Alex looked at Sayid pleadingly, seeming to recognize him as a leader of sorts. When Sayid and Sawyer didn't say anything right away she pulled out a gun and pointed it at them, she looked slightly nervous, but desperate, "I don't want to have to hurt either of you."

"You won't have to," Kate said smoothly, as she snuck up behind Alex and aimed a gun at her.

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A/N: I'm sorry, I know that was my shortest chapter yet so the length was probably a let down after such a long wait, but I wanted to get something up and hopefully I will feel better and will be able to return to writing on a regular basis. I swear the next chapter will be much longer and will be up sooner. ASAP I will update.

What did you think of my cliffhanger? Review please!


	7. Escape Part 2

A/N: Wow! I got this written a lot sooner than I expected. (Sorry, I didn't stop to edit this very well so tell me please if there are any major errors.)

Disclaimer: (I can never remember this in every chapter.) I do not own lost… etc.

The first scene with Karl is similar but different. No worries though, it won't be all the same.

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**Chapter 7 – Escape part 2**

Kate pressed the cold tip of the gun against Alex's head.

"Please," Alex pleaded, not looking afraid of Kate, but afraid of her situation, "I just need help freeing Karl. Ben's gonna kill him."

Kate's eyes softened momentarily, she felt sorry for Alex. But still, Alex was one of them. Her eye's went cold, "and what makes you think we should help you, why should we trust you!?"

"I helped him escape!" she pointed at Sawyer. "I tried to help YOU escape!" Alex sounded exasperated, desperate.

Kate glanced at Sayid. Alex had given her no reason, no reason yet she reminded herself, to not be trusted. It wasn't that she was cold-hearted and wanted to just let the kid's boyfriend die, she just wanted to get back to their beach, her, Sawyer, Sayid, Rousseau, and Jack…

As if he sensed Kate was asking his opinion Sayid gave his input, "I trust her."

Kate nodded slowly, considering. She trusted Sayid's opinion. She pulled the gun back, but kept it pointed at Alex steadily. "Fine," she threw another look at Sayid and Sawyer, she took a deep breath, "we'll help you rescue Karl… but you are going to do me a favor in return."

"What do you want?" Alex said slowly.

"I want you to take me to Jack." Kate demanded, looking like she really would fire the gun if Alex said no.

"No," Alex said.

Kate raised her eyebrows. "Then we can't help you."

"No, I didn't mean I wouldn't help Jack escape. I meant you can't come with me. I don't have to hide the way you would," Alex clarified.

Kate didn't look happy about this. Finally she lowered the gun most of the way, "Okay, where's Karl? We will do our best to-"

Sawyer interrupted, "What do you mean we will? I just want to get back to our own damn rock."

Alex gaped at him, "I helped you escape."

Sawyer grumbled something.

"Fine me and Sayidwill help," Kate said, looking to Sayid who nodded and then watching Sawyer.

"I'll help," Sawyer mumbled.

Alex explained to them where she thought Karl would be and assured Kate she would try to find a way to help Jack and meet them back here.

As Alex walked away Kate stowed the gun away and headed off, not waiting for the other two to follow.

"Where the hell did you get _a gun_!?" Sawyer exclaimed.

"Pickett had one."

---

It didn't take long for Alex to reach the Hydra. Remarkably, she had yet to run into anyone. Hopefully she wouldn't at all. She peaked around every corner and listened carefully for anyone nearby. She fought to think of a plan as she raced through the halls towards Jack's cell. If she just walked in surely someone would see it on the surveillance cameras. Just as she reached the door it opened and Juliet walked out. Thinking quickly she spoke before Juliet could question her, "My dad sent me to tell you he wants to talk to Jack."

Juliet looked confused and stood still for a moment but then she returned to Jacks room.

Alex heard Juliet ask Jack to come with her. In a minute Juliet walked out of the room again, this time leading Jack in front of her. They set off down the hall.

Alex knew she couldn't wait long, someone might come along. She hoped Kate, Sayid and Sawyer would be able to free Karl because after this he would be killed for sure. She suddenly pulled out her gun and hit the back of Juliet's head hard. Juliet was knocked out instantly and dropped to the floor, "sorry," she muttered under her breath.

"What are-" Jack began.

"Sssshhh!" She turned back the other way, "follow me, I'll explain."

Jack looked down and Juliet momentarily while Alex was telling him to hurry. After a few long seconds he decided she would be fine and regretfully followed after Alex.

---

Sayid, Sawyer and Kate watched from the jungle. They had found the building Alex had told them about but they didn't know where Karl would be, or, from what Alex said, what condition he would be in. There was a single guard sitting outside the front door.

"Do you think he's the only one," Kate whispered.

"I believe he is the only one outside," Sayid matched her quiet tone, "but there is no way to tell how many are inside."

"Right, let's go." Kate stepped out of the jungle, Sayid and Sawyer right with her, and walked straight up to the man, leveling her gun at him, "Where's Karl?"

The man lifted the walkie-takie and prepared to speak into it when Kate skillfully shot it out of his hand. He gasped.

"Nice shot, Freckles," Sawyer commented.

"Thanks," she prepared to fire again as she turned back to question the man, "I don't have enough time to let you waste any so I will ask you one more time, where's Karl?"

"I-In-Inside," the man looked terrified, "the room at the end of the hall."

In a blur of motion Kate brought the gun down on the man's head, knocking him out cold. She snatched a gun from a holster on his waist and tossed it to Sayid.

"Hey, why the hell does Captain Iraqi get the gun?" Sawyer asked, looking startled.

"There are only two guns." Kate answered easily as she opened the door and stepped in.

Sawyer called after her, "What's your point?"

---

"Where's Kate?" Jack asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

Alex answered almost inaudibly, "she's fine, don't worry about it."

"Where is-" but he was cut off again. Alex had suddenly seized his arm and yanked him around a corner. She leaned against the wall and breathed softly, listening.

They could catch snatches of a conversation between Tom and an unidentified woman.

"Danny's dead."

"What?---"

"---… escaped, both of them. They had to have had help. Jarrah couldn't've---"

The voices faded away. Jack spoke in low tones, "what's going on?"

"Aust-," she corrected herself, "Kate and Sayid escaped with Sawyer's help."

"Sawyer-" but she interrupted again.

"came with Sayid to help you and Kate escape. We're meeting them."

"Did anyone else come with them?"

"Not that I saw," she had led them through halls and now was leading them outside.

---

"There," Kate pointed, "the door's open."

"It looks like no one's home," Sawyer cautiously walked to the end of the hall and entered the last room.

Sayid and Kate followed Sawyer inside and both immediately rushed to the side of the boy on the floor. Karl was lying still in a pool of blood.

"Is he dead?" Kate asked hesitantly as Sayid knelt down and picked up his wrist.

It took several seconds for Sayid to feel a pulse, "No. He's still alive." Sayid was studying the wounds, "he's been tortured. He's badly injured but I think it's safe to move him."

Sawyer helped Sayid carry Karl as Kate led the way back outside.

"Where's Rousseau?" Kate called back.

"In the boat, waiting for us. Alex should be there by now. We need to hurry to avoid being caught. No doubt they know we have escaped by now." Sayid said, just loud enough for her to hear. "The boat is close."

---

Juliet awoke, her head pounding. She felt the back of her head and discovered a bit of dried blood. She immediately remembered what had happened. She quickly stood and ran down the halls to find Ben.

---

Rousseau helped Sayid and Sawyer heave Karl onto the boat and Kate climbed in behind them. Out of breath, she managed to gasp, "Is—Jack—here?"

"No?" Rousseau looked baffled, "Did you find him?"

Sayid answered while Kate caught her breath, "We found Alex. She agreed to find Jack for us in exchange for us saving Karl." He motioned to the unconscious man on the deck.

Rousseau looked for a brief moment as if she were going to question this, specifically the part about the daughter she hadn't seen in sixteen years. But she didn't, "let's move him below deck."

She helped Sayid move Karl below the deck.

Just then Sawyer spotted something on the beach, "son of a bitch."

Kate turned to where he was looking. Several others were running towards the boat. It looked like Tom, Juliet, and two others Kate hadn't seen. Sawyer darted below deck, returning mere seconds later with Sayid's gun.

"Told you it would have been better to give this to me," he pointed out.

But Kate didn't respond to him, she had just seen something in the jungle. "JACK!" she shouted suddenly. "JACK!"

---

"I thought you knew where the boat was!" Jack shouted at Alex.

"Well, I hadn't exactly seen it! I thought it was near here." She paused, "What was that?"

They fell silent. They heard someone yell, "JACK!"

"It's Kate!" Jack proclaimed, breaking into a run towards the sound of the voice. It only took a few steps for them to be out of the jungle. He saw the boat. Kate and Sawyer were leaning against the railing. Where was Sayid? He shook his head and continued running towards the boat. A gunshot broke though the virtual silence. Then another. What was going on?

He looked worriedly at the boat, but it was Kate and Sawyer shooting, not being shot at. He turned his head. They were shooting at a small group of others, Juliet among them. He was pretty sure it was just cover fire though because no one was being hit. He looked to his right and saw Alex was still next to him. The boat was so close. 50 feet… 30… 10… he saw Alex climb aboard and then he grasped the cold metal of the railing. He felt Kate helping him up and vaguely heard her shouting something to Sawyer. They both fell to the deck as the boat sped away. He could see Sawyer steering, which must have been what Kate was yelling about.

"What?" he asked, Kate had said something but he hadn't heard. He could feel his heart beating rapidly.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Jack sat up, having now mostly returned to a normal breathing pattern.

"Good because we need you're help now!" she stood and reached a hand down to help him stand. Then she hurried him under the deck where Rousseau was standing awkwardly in a corner and Alex and Sayid were standing over a teenage boy.

"Move," Jack instructed and Sayid stepped back to give him room. Jack eyed Alex warily, she was kind of in the way, and it looked like this boy needed serious medical attention, fast. "You all need to leave; it's too cramped down here."

Sayid led Rousseau and Alex back onto the deck of the boat. "Alex, this is your mother."

Rousseau looked somewhat awkward. Alex's jaw dropped as she gawked, speechless, "but I – my mom --…" she gave up, finding no more words.

---

"Do you need anything, Jack?" Kate asked, wanting to help him in some way.

Jack was already treating the boy's wounds as best he could, but he didn't have any supplies, "Yeah, umm, are there any medical supplies here?"

"I'll check," Kate rummaged around, quickly returning with a first aid kit.

"Thanks, you can go." Jack said shortly.

"What?" Kate narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"I don't need anything else so you should probably go see what's going on up top."

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A/N: I promise more Jate soon. Review please! What do you think?


	8. Confessions

A/N: Sorry. You wouldn't believe the month I've had. Everyone around me has been sick and in and out of the hospital, everyone's moving, Harry Potter 7 came out (had to read that), and then I got sick! I had this written weeks ago but I haven't been online.  Anyway, here it is, the next chapter.

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**Chapter 8 – Confessions**

Tom shouted angrily into his walkie-talkie, "Ben, they got away. Do you want us to follow them?"

A voice broke through the static, "No."

"What!" Tom looked at the others around him, "Ben… all of them… and... Karl and Alex."

There was a longer delay before Ben's next reply, "Alright then, I have a plan."

---

Sayid paced the small boat, almost not believing that they had pulled it off. They could see their island in the distance and behind them, at least so far, they couldn't see anyone pursuing. Alex and Danielle stood awkwardly in a corner, talking a little, though it looked as though uncomfortable silence was filling up most of the time. He watched as Alex said something and then hurried under the deck, he assumed to check on Karl. Danielle turned to look out to sea, leaning against the rail and looking rather melancholy.

Sawyer was still steering the boat, looking bored. Kate was sitting against the side of the boat, staring at the ground and looking deeply troubled. Sayid closed the gap between them in a few small steps and sat beside her. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" She looked up at him, surprised. Obviously she hadn't noticed him sit down. "Oh yeah," she looked down again and began tracing some imaginary design with her fingertip on the deck. She forced some enthusiasm into her voice, "I'm great."

"Is there anything you want to talk about?"

She faked a small smile and stood up, gazing off into the distance, at their island. "Why would there be?"

---

It seemed to take no time at all to get back on their island. They were on the wrong side admittedly, but the right island at least. Karl was conscious and stable now and the 7 walked into the jungle.

"Back again, home sweet home," Sawyer said with a sarcastic grin.

Alex looked at Sayid nervously, "now what?"

"We go back to camp," Sayid stated.

"Some of you go back to camp," a female voice corrected.

They all turned towards the voice to see Juliet push Kate out of the jungle, the gun Kate had had was now pressed against her head.

Sawyer quickly pulled out the gun he still had and pointed it at Juliet, "I don't think so, blondie."

Rousseau also had a rifle pointed at Juliet. Juliet eyed the guns calmly and sighed, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm not alone. You're surrounded. I only want one of you; no one has to get hurt."

Jack walked forward slowly, "Juliet…"

"I'll let Kate go, but only if Alex comes with me." Juliet looked apologetically at Alex, "I'm sorry, but if you don't come with me I have orders to kill one of you... to start with." She took a step back, dragging Kate with her.

Alex looked angry, "I'm not going back! Ben isn't my father!"

"I'm sorry, Alex," Juliet repeated, sounding just as calm, "I have orders to kill Karl as well," she paused as Alex and Karl exchanged a glance, "but I am willing to disregard those orders just as long as you come quietly."

"How the hell'd you get here so damn quick?" Sawyer asked incredulously.

"My boat's faster," she said simply, actually giving him a sad smile.

"Juliet, you don't have to do this, you could just stay with us," Jack suggested.

Kate stared at him in disbelief. Her heart was racing and no matter how unafraid she may have appeared the gun against her head sent chills down her spine. She could barely breathe, let alone speak, why was he inviting one of their former captors to stay with them, especially while they had her at gunpoint, "Jack…"

Juliet looked slightly remorseful, "I'm sorry, Jack, I'm not lying when I say I'm not alone."

"How do we know you are telling the truth?" Sayid asked.

Juliet looked to the right, behind them, and nodded. A shot rang out, a bullet whipping past Sayid's head.

She was silent, waiting for their response.

"You can't take her," Rousseau said suddenly, "not again."

Juliet sighed again, "I'm sorry, Kate."

Juliet really looked like she was about to pull the trigger, Kate closed her eyes.

"Fine!" Alex interrupted, clearly not wanting anyone to be killed because of her.

"No!" Rousseau insisted.

Alex ignored her mother and walked over near Juliet and Kate, "I'll come with you, for now…"

"Good," Juliet relaxed her hold on Kate slightly; who took advantage of that and before anyone knew what had happened she had taken the gun from Juliet, who was now sprawled out in the dirt. She pointed the gun at Juliet, but Juliet didn't look concerned at all.

Another voice came from nowhere, "The was impressive, but pointless, we are leaving… come on Juliet, Alex."

Tom stepped out from the jungle and another other appeared from behind a tree and grabbed Alex. Then they were all gone.

Kate lowered the gun slowly, and then stowed it away in the back of her waistband; she turned to look at the others. Jack, Sawyer, Sayid and Rousseau stood there, looking as uncertain of what to do as she felt. Wait, someone else was missing, besides Alex who was now with the others. "Where's Karl?"

The other four looked around, apparently not having noticed. Sawyer swore under his breath. "I say we forget about the damn kid and go back to our beach."

Sayid and Kate agreed, though a little reluctantly, after all they had no idea where he had gone, they hadn't seen him leave. Rousseau informed them she was going back to her own camp, looking a little distraught, who wouldn't be after finding the person you'd spent 16 years searching for only to have them gone before the end of the day. She vanished into the jungle.

"I'm going to look for him," Jack stated with a note of finality in his voice, "You should all go back to camp. I'll meet you there."

Sayid nodded and Sawyer looked as though he couldn't care less. Kate nodded but then said, "Right, I'm coming with you."

"No, you aren't." Jack insisted, "It's too dangerous."

"I'm not letting you go alone." Kate said, her voice clearly said that the matter was settled.

"What do you want to go off searching for the run-away kid for anyway, Freckles?" Sawyer said, but Kate ignored him, she was still staring intently at Jack.

"Fine," he relented, "Let's go."

---

Kate trailed after Jack, who was walking very fast. Kate had been tracking some footsteps presumably left by Karl but then had lost the trail. They had continued on in the same direction without speaking for half an hour.

"So, what do you know about her," Kate asked loudly so that her voice would carry to Jack, who was quite a ways ahead of her. "The blonde woman…"

"Juliet," he corrected her.

"Right, Juliet…" she waited for him to answer but he didn't so she continued, "you seem to trust her."

Jack stopped and turned around, "What if I do?!"

Kate was startled by his abruptness so she didn't answer right away, "She's one of them."

He took a breath, "She's different than the rest of them."

She was bewildered, "How is she different?"

"I don't know, I just trust her, okay." He turned to keep walking.

"She threatened to kill me!"

He shook his head and backtracked until he was standing only a foot away from her. "She really wasn't going to. She wouldn't."

Her voice was quiet, "You sound pretty sure."

"I am."

"Well, it wasn't your life on the line now, was it?" She stormed past him and he fell into step behind her silently.

---

"What the hell is that?" Sawyer stopped dead.

Sayid followed Sawyer's gaze and saw the 4-toed statue. "It is a statue."

Sawyer stared at it. "Why do you think it only has 4 toes?"

"I'm not sure I want to know. Jin and Sun and I saw it when we were sailing towards the others camp. It doesn't look like a toe is broken off, it appears to have been made that way. Let's keep moving, there's nothing else here"

---

The sun was fading quickly but Jack and Kate were still traveling, their destination still unknown. It was raining steadily but they hadn't slowed their pace a bit. Suddenly a loud roar was heard through the silence. They both stopped. Kate looked at Jack, "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I did." His eyes widened as they focused on something behind her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her with him back the way they'd come, "Kate RUN!"

Without looking to see what he had she ran alongside him. A devastating sound followed them, trees were snapping like twigs and it sounded as if the whole place was being completely uprooted. They couldn't run fast enough, they were rapidly enveloped by a cloud of black smoke.

Kate couldn't believe the sight before her eyes. She stopped dead, unable to see the ground to move anyway. She could feel a strong wind blowing around her with leaves and dust. It was like her whole life was appearing before her eyes. She saw images from the most catastrophic events in her life flash before her eyes as vividly as they had been when she'd first experienced them. She held her breath. And then the smoke zoomed away and the wind stopped. Everything was quiet. Kate watched it disappear into the distance, breathing shakily. She was amazed the monster hadn't harmed her.

"It's gone. Jack, are you okay?" But when she turned around he wasn't there. "JACK!"

Then she saw him and once more she found herself unable to breathe. There he was, trapped under a tree. She rushed to his side and knelt down. He was unconscious. She tried with all her might to lift the tree off of him, but she wasn't quite strong enough.

"Jack!" She tried to bring him back to consciousness. She didn't know how injured he was but she couldn't lift the tree off of him. Before she even knew it, tears were falling from her eyes. "Jack!" she cried panicked, she shook him lightly, trying to wake him up but afraid of injuring him more. Still he didn't wake. She sat down, allowing the tears to flow freely. She couldn't help but feel this must be her fault somehow. He was going to die under that tree, she just couldn't help him.

"Kate…" she heard him call her weakly.

She felt his hand on hers. Suddenly she was kneeling beside him once more, she fought to keep her voice calm, "Jack, I can't move this. Can you help me at all?"

He nodded slightly, clearly in pain, and together they were able to move it off of him.

---

"How are you feeling?" Kate asked Jack worriedly.

"I'm okay," he responded with a grimace of pain.

It had been about an hour since the tree incident. Kate had helped him sit up and lean against another tree. Following his instruction she'd been able to tell him the extent of the injuries. After Jack assuring her he would be okay she had gone off in search of water.

Kate had returned with a bunch of strange berries and the now full water bottles she was also carrying told him she had been successful.

"Here," she uncapped a water bottle and offered it to him. He took it from her and drank half of it in seconds. She recapped it when he handed it back to her and studied his face anxiously. "Jack… are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," he stated, relieved to see her relax a little. He wouldn't admit to her how much pain he was in. He was sure he'd be okay, so what was the point. He had to be strong for her.

"Are you hungry?" She picked up the berries she had brought, "I think these are okay…"

"A little," he admitted and ate a few that she handed him. "It's dark now so we should probably sleep here for tonight."

She raised her eyebrows, "If it weren't dark you would want to move?"

"I told you I'm fine," he moved to stand up but didn't get very far before he fell back, wincing. "I'll be fine, in the morning."

He closed his eyes. He heard Kate fidgeting with something. Then she spoke hesitantly, "Jack… when the smoke… when it was here… did you… see anything?"

"What do you mean?"

She swallowed hard, "Nothing."

He looked deep into her green eyes, "What did you see?"

"Nothi- just… I don't know… memories."

"Like what?"

He watched her expression grow cold. He realized whatever 'memories' she had seen must not have been pleasant ones. "Just… memories."

---

Kate was leaning against a nearby tree, not even pretending to be asleep.

"What did you do, Kate?" he wasn't sure if she jumped at the sound of his voice because she thought he was asleep or because of the question.

"What?" she asked, sounding nonchalant even though she was staring determinedly at the ground.

"To become a fugitive."

"Thought you didn't wanna know. I thought you said this island was our chance to start over." She studied his face, looking stoic, but her voice betrayed her and he thought sounded slightly bitter, as if he had broken her trust.

"To start over you have to be able to let go of whatever's holding you back. You're not." He was staring intensely into her haunted eyes. He could almost feel the pain there.

She put up her emotional wall, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then why don't you tell me."

"I can't…" she stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know," she started to walk away, at the last second she added; "you should take your own advice."

A lot of time passed but Kate didn't go far. She waited out of sight until she was sure Jack was asleep, and then she returned and lay down.

---

Jack opened his eyes slowly. Sunlight had now flooded through the jungle so he could tell it was morning. He looked to his right and was relieved to see the brunette who'd left last night laying there asleep. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, and she looked so peaceful.

He remembered her last words to him the night before 'you should take your own advice'. Maybe he would do just that. He saw her eyes flutter open, she yawned. "Good morning, Kate."

She smiled, "How're you feeling, Jack?"

He was still in pain but things could have been much worse, he was relatively certain nothing was broken. "I'm alright."

He leaned back against his tree and before giving himself a chance to talk himself out of it he said, "I hadn't talked to my father in months. I went to Australia to bring him home, but he was already dead."

"Why hadn't you been talking to him?"

He said it in a rush as if it were physically painful every second he was talking. "I got his medical license taken away. He killed someone in the OR, he was drunk." Jack looked at her mournfully, "I thought I was doing the right thing…"

"…me too," she looked away, swallowing hard.

"What do you mean, Kate?"

Her voice was cold and she spoke slowly, "He came home drunk every day and he beat her. She wouldn't report him; I thought she was just afraid."

Though Kate paused momentarily Jack didn't say anything, he waited for her to continue.

When she looked at him he was shocked by the lack of remorse in her face, "I killed him. My st- my father. I was careful. I took out an insurance policy on the house… made it look like an accidental gas explosion. Then I left…"

He stared at her, taking it all in. He had known that to be chased across the globe she had to have committed a serious crime but he hadn't let himself wonder what she had done. He didn't understand how anyone could ever kill another person, but it wasn't as if she had killed some poor innocent person on a street one day, she had killed a bad guy. She looked like she wanted to run away, but was resisting the urge. More than anything he didn't want to mess things up and make her run away, "So, if you planned it out and were so careful, how'd you get caught?"

Momentarily a look of deep pain flashed across her face, it was the first sign of emotion he'd seen, but then the same cold expression returned and she spoke in a flat voice, "My mom turned me in… said I'd betrayed her. She loved him. She-she…"

Jack grabbed her arm gently; she shook him off and continued, her voice breaking a little, "She chose him over me…"

Jack grabbed her arm once more and when she didn't resist this time he pulled her to him. She was crying now. She laid her head against his chest, struggling with her emotions. He wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the pain of her leaning against him right now.

She sobbed against him for several minutes then she pulled away and wiped furiously at her tears, "I'm sorry, Jack."

He tightened his grip on her arm slightly, just in case she tried to leave. He tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and stared deep into her eyes, "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

She looked confused and unsure what to make of the situation. Then she nodded. He relaxed his grip.

"We should probably head back, we don't know where Karl went," Jack said.

"If you're feeling up to it," she stood up and held out a hand to him.

He took her hand and stood up, pushing the pain out of his mind as best he could. "Yeah, let's go."

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review please


	9. update

When All Seems Lost

Sorry, I plan on finishing this story but I am having trouble continuing it so I am going to start posting the other story I've been working on. I hope my other story will be better. :)


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